Beer truck bandit caught after fleeing police

SANTA ROSA, Calif. - Santa Rosa police say a man wearing only American flag shorts, stole a beer truck then ran on foot down Highway 101 before he was found hiding in some bushes.

Police say the beer delivery truck was stolen from MD Liquor store on Sebastopol Road at 11:50 Thursday morning.

A customer told the delivery driver, who was inside the store at the time, that a homeless man jumped into his beer truck in the parking lot and drove off.

The beer company had GPS on their truck and located it within minutes in the 300 block of Yolanda Avenue.

Santa Rosa police officers, including a K-9 officer and his partner responded to the area where the suspect was seen running across Highway 101.

Within 45 minutes, the suspect, later identified as 46-year-old Matt Lane Hermsmeyer, was taken into custody as he hid in the bushes.